Hey folks, Harry here with a look at the follow up film from the director of THE SIXTH SENSE, M. Night Shyamalan's UNBREAKABLE. It's a screenplay that most people seem to like, and only begin to disagree upon the ending. When suddenly some people either love.... or hate it. In this case, we have a lover. He does give out some of the details of the screenplay, but doesn't lay it all out for you. Introduces you to the characters, some of their issues and the hurdles they may have to leap. But does not give away the candy store. Well, it's back to the massage tables here at the Moriarty Labs Spa & Resorts... Adios..
Greetings Harry,
I'm new around here, but this is Sam Lowry's Clone. I recently spent some time as a cog in the Hollywood spec script machine, trying to sell my brilliant comedy jokes. At the same time, I waged a highly symbolic war against bureaucracy and managed to pick up a copy of the rough draft of M. Night Shyamalan's UNBREAKABLE.
Be warned: I only have the first draft. And I'm giving it a good review, because I wouldn't be writing you if I didn't like it--it's kind of harsh to rack on someone's rough work. I'm ALSO not going to give away any major spoilers about the ending. Instead I'll give you the premise and a few of my own opinions. Therefore-as I'm giving away the setup of the story-one can definitely infer that MINOR SPOILERS follow. If you don't want to read 'em, better log off and go fix your ducts.
UNBREAKABLE follows two characters with vastly different story arcs. The first is DAVID, the character written for Bruce Willis. David is a normal guy in many ways: he works as a security guard and he's having trouble with his marriage. There's something very UNUSUAL about the fellow, however; it's impossible to hurt him. To put a fine point on it, he's invincible. Years ago he survived a car accident, and in the opening pages of UNBREAKABLE he's the sole survivor of a train crash.
The other character is Elijah, to be played by Sam Jackson. Elijah suffers a horrific birth in which he's born with both his arms and legs broken. He grows up to be the most fragile person alive; the slightest pressure snaps his bones like plastic. He spends much of his life in a wheelchair, and he's no stranger to pain. He also grows up as a comic book fanatic, obsessed with larger-than-life characters. He loves the four-color contrast to his own small and painful existence.
Naturally, David and Elijah eventually meet. Elijah has developed a theory about the Way the World Works, based on his lifelong obsession with comic books. He believes that comics are simply an exaggeration of reality-that there are superhumans who walk the Earth, and that there are people who BALANCE those superhumans, acting as the yin to their yang. Elijah tries to convince David of his own heroic qualities, something that David has never let himself recognize or believe. Elijah NEEDS David to understand what he is--David's very existence not only validates Elijah's theory, but gives meaning to Elijah's own tortured existence.
That's it for the premise. Here are some of my thoughts about it.
This is a truly weird script. As you may have surmised, it's a SUPERHERO STORY-a premise written by a writer with a love for comic books, and who has assumed an almost WATCHMEN-like approach to examining the concepts of good and evil. It's a dark, eerie look at comic book morality as it might appear when tranposed into the world we know. To be honest, I don't know if mainstream audiences will "get it."
But if you like comic books-you will get it. You even may find yourself faced with the coolest superhero movie in years.
Oh, and yes-there's a patented "twist ending." Here's the thing, though-I don't think it's as OBVIOUS a twist ending. (I personally saw the finale to THE SIXTH SENSE coming a mile away, although I still enjoyed the movie.) The ending here is a little subtler, a little weirder. It's not something that makes you hit your head and go "Oh yeah!" For that reason, I don't know if the movie will be as much of a breakout hit as its predecessor. But the ending WORKS-it fits thematically with the movie, and like THE SIXTH SENSE, it adds texture and nuance to the story that preceded it. (It certainly made me read the script a second time. How the hell does Shymalayan do that??)
There are problems here. If THE SIXTH SENSE has its hokey moments, there are some scenes between David and his wife that are straight out of James Cameron's How to Write Relationship Dialogue textbook. The relationships themselves are not always clearly drawn or defined. I heard that subsequent drafts are going to address precisely these flaws, so there's reason to be optimistic here.
Personally, I'm happy in any event. The phenomenal success of THE SIXTH SENSE not only assures that the movie will be made, but that it'll be made with care. And that means that comic book lovers everywhere get to see a truly unique vision of their medium. It may even wash away memories of BATMAN AND ROBIN and help some similar concepts get greenlighted. That's enough for even a Corporate Cog like me to give a timid cheer.
Best,
Sam Lowry's Clone
